Peltier kegerator

[scaryeyes]

Some pics of my new cooler. Its gonna be cooled by 4 136W peltiers.

Here is the front. The top are gonna be covered with tile and then the taps.



Not finiched yet on the inside. More insolation on the doos an some plsatic on the floor. The auminum sheet on the back is gonna work as a heatsink on the cold side.


The peltiers are gonna be mounted in the aluminum blocks. The outer block is watercooled and a radiator is gonna exchange the heat with a little help from 2 120mm fans


I will have a nice dark colour on this furniture, that I hope gonna serve me cold beer for many years.

 

[rhamilton]

Nice setup! I did a science experiment around 2000 using peltiers to cool my PC. It was a fun project and peltiers are pretty neat to work with.

What did you control the temperature with?

 

[scaryeyes]

Its gonna be a PID controller for the temp inside the cooler. And one pid to control overheating.
Now im gonna find some nice powersource for this

 

[Cpt_Kirks]

Expensive way to cool a kegerator. Peltiers are not very efficient.

Keep us updated.

 

[audger]

yea. neat project, but its going to be very inefficient.

the way to get efficiency out of peltiers is to cascade several and undervolt them all. even then, you wont break 50-60% efficiency. a single peltier is usually 20-30% efficient, depending on quality.

 

[scaryeyes]

So what? Its not that they are going to burn 400W 24/7 the year around.
And still half the year I will have the heat inside the house.
The fact remains that cool boxes with peltiers work. Exactly the same thing.
And well, its cheaper to buy the beer in cases of 24.

But as a defence, I dont have the space for another refrigerator in my livingroom, and build this with a compressor from an old fridge was not an option. Its not cost efficiant.

With this said, I dont care if its expensive to run my fridge as long as I cold beer. And I built it myself!

 

[mangiant]

Are you going to cool the "hot" side of the peltier?

 

[scaryeyes]

Are you going to cool the "hot" side of the peltier?

Yes. They are water cooled. I cross drilled the outer aluminum block.

 

[wyzazz]

Looks pretty cool! I'm interested to see how it turns out for you.

 

[BetterSense]

I want to know where you got the thermoelectric elements, and what the specs are.

I have thought about making an absolutely minimal kegerator for a single corny, using a thermoelectric element applied directly to the keg. But I have never found a source of thermoelectric elements.

One of the benefits of these type of coolers is that they can be absolutely silent, which I really like. In your case you will have some fan noise and water circulation, but that can be pretty quiet.

 

[wyzazz]

I want to know where you got the thermoelectric elements, and what the specs are.

I have thought about making an absolutely minimal kegerator for a single corny, using a thermoelectric element applied directly to the keg. But I have never found a source of thermoelectric elements.

One of the benefits of these type of coolers is that they can be absolutely silent, which I really like. In your case you will have some fan noise and water circulation, but that can be pretty quiet.

Ebay, FTW!

 

[AnchorBock]

I want to know where you got the thermoelectric elements, and what the specs are.

I have thought about making an absolutely minimal kegerator for a single corny, using a thermoelectric element applied directly to the keg. But I have never found a source of thermoelectric elements.

One of the benefits of these type of coolers is that they can be absolutely silent, which I really like. In your case you will have some fan noise and water circulation, but that can be pretty quiet.

I'm planning to make a single keg "cellar" for dispensing Real Ale and will be using a peltier module from a countertop 12 bottle wine cooler. I got a 1 gallon jug (biggest I could fit in the cooler) down to 44F in my 63F basement so I'm hoping it can keep a single keg around 53F. I want to put this in my office (I work from home) so I need something silent.

 

[scaryeyes]

I'm planning to make a single keg "cellar" for dispensing Real Ale and will be using a peltier module from a countertop 12 bottle wine cooler. I got a 1 gallon jug (biggest I could fit in the cooler) down to 44F in my 63F basement so I'm hoping it can keep a single keg around 53F. I want to put this in my office (I work from home) so I need something silent.

Drinking at work!!! HURRAYYY!!!!

 

[scaryeyes]

Looks pretty cool! I'm interested to see how it turns out for you.

I hope to run these elements on 6 to 7 volts. Even the small waterpump because the noise. I dont know, but maybe I come down to the level of around 50W each then. And reasonable ampage. I have only 10 amp fuses at home on 230V.
It still would be around 200W, and thats a lot more than a big cooled picnic box. They are usually like 60W peltiers, ive heard. And the good ones cool almost down to 20°c below the outer temp. So it wouldnt be impossible to cool down to 6-8°c in a room of 22-25°
This are just theories, and a theory is far away from reality until its tested.

 

[scaryeyes]

I hope to test the peltiers next week when I get home from work

 

[OneHoppyGuy]

Peltier? What Peltier... All I see is a Cobra!

 

[scaryeyes]

Beer cars and women, right?

 

[OneHoppyGuy]

didn't know American cars were that available in Sweden

 

[scaryeyes]

Off topic.
Yes they are. Well, the cobra isnt mine, but i have caddy seville -97 as an every day car, -94 trans am as hobby car and a hot rod project. Last weekend we had a motor show with like 3000 cars. Start of summer meet.
The swedes imported your old cars And restored them since the 70th.

 

[carlisle_bob]

Hi

You likely will need a pretty good water pump to get the back plates and the radiator to equalize well. Pumping water is cheap energy wise, and it's a shame to loose efficiency from low flow.

Bob

 

[scaryeyes]

Yea. That has been a big concern so far. I didnt find a pump yet that are small enough. So that little pump that came with the water container will do in the meantime.

 

[carlisle_bob]

Hi

You could put a pump on each cooling block and run them each to the radiator with it's own hose. They should equalize out pretty well that way. I was planning to use a pretty big pump (Little Giant MD2) with mine after I did the math...

Bob

 

[scaryeyes]

Im planning on a pump that flows 650 litres an hour, DC40-2470. But instead of running it on 24V, I plan to run it on 12V. It shoul still flow like 250-300 litres an hour. That should be ok, I think. If its not enough, I simply buy one more.

 

[carlisle_bob]

Hi

I think you will need more water flow than you believe.
To get the coolers to do a good job, you want nearly zero temperature differenace between the water in radiator and the water in the cooling block.

Bob

 

[scaryeyes]

It now look like this. Im down to 10-12°C (50-53,6°F), but the fans Im using dont really blow.... So I ordered better fans, and then I think I can keep the temp lower in the cooling blocks. I hope that lower temp on the hot side, giva a lower temp on the cool side. Am I right? The hot side is about 50°C (122F)
But maybe I have some leakage oc cold air, but I havent detected any.

 

[BetterSense]

I hope that lower temp on the hot side, giva a lower temp on the cool side. Am I right?

Absolutely right. By the way, it looks really nice. Do you know how many watts it draws yet?

 

[scaryeyes]

Absolutely right. By the way, it looks really nice. Do you know how many watts it draws yet?

No I dont know. Its 4 136W at 15V and I drive them on 12V. If the curve is linear, it should be like 90-100W each?

I could have made my life easier, but this way is more interesting. I dont care about the prize of power in this project. I can handle the cost of electricity. The space in the room is a higher factor.
I even think that this pump I use, is too small. Maybe Im gonna find a double sized pump and go down on power to make it more silent....

 

[carlisle_bob]

.....
I even think that this pump I use, is too small. Maybe Im gonna find a double sized pump and go down on power to make it more silent....

Hi

Check the temperature at the cold block on the coolers and at the water outlet on the radiator. The bigger the temperature delta the more a bigger pump will help you. A "finger on the part and count" approach is probably adequate (seconds to pain is a reasonable indicator around 50C).

If your room is sitting around 30C, 50 is not a really bad temperature for the cold side. Doubling the pump, radiator, and fans will only get it down to 40. I'd bet that the noise from that will drive you a bit nuts.

Bob

 

[scaryeyes]

So. Now i added a fan inside and replaced one broken pelter thar was hot on both sides. I even added fans on the radiators. So after six hours it dropped from 17c to 11c in a 26c degrees room. Its been dropping 1 degree an hour. So this experiment looks promising. Pic from finished will come up in a day or so when the top all finished.

9C now. My goal from start was 8 degrees c and now Im almost there. Its working!

 

[scaryeyes]

So, now I call this project finished. Im still at 9° inside, but I can without doubt live with it. I now have 2 beers in my livingroom and just have to turn away from the tv to fill it up. I like it and Im happy it turned out well.
Thanks for all the input and to those who was just negative, just eat it!

 

[ChrisTags]

Looks awesome! I need to get working on this, but I think I better raise my life insurance and home insurance first.

 

[wyzazz]

Awesome! Glad everything turned out well in the end!

 

[scaryeyes]

Awesome! Glad everything turned out well in the end!

Yea. Not many here who believed in this project from start. Its interesting.
Down to 8 degrees now.

 

[wyzazz]

Yea. Not many here who believed in this project from start. Its interesting.
Down to 8 degrees now.

Screw the norm, you've got to experiment to see if it works right? That's one of the best parts of this hobby for me!:rockin:

 

[scaryeyes]

Im constantly down to 6°C/43°F now. On extreme warm days when tep in the room exeeds 27°C, it rises above 8°C. But when its only 25°C in the room, it stays at 6°C. So I think that it would be appropiate wit at least 5 peltiers for two kegs. We are gonna do a little project for 1 keg with only 3 air cooled peltiers.
Maybe Im gonna ad 2 more peltiers and air cool them. Just in the name of sciense. Or, just because I have 2 more laying around.

Now I have a question. You guys who have something similar.... How do you connect the vinyl tubing? i managed to press it into a John Guest fitting and recieve a restrictor setup. But the JG fittings are 3/8, while my tubing is 10 mm. 3/8 is roughly 9.5mm.

 

[scaryeyes]

Just an update here for all the no sayers out there!
Im constantly down to 40°F or like 4°C here now when I can keep it to 72°F/22°C inside!
Wouldnt you call it in as a win??

I left this behind now and take on my next challenge. This one is not beer, but a racecar. I just need to do this....

Well... I still have my bottlingmashine unfinished!

 

[scaryeyes]

Hi

I think you will need more water flow than you believe.
To get the coolers to do a good job, you want nearly zero temperature differenace between the water in radiator and the water in the cooling block.

Bob

Well... I now use this same ol damned pump but at what I think is 3.5 volts. Its what the computer supply give at the least? I got tired of the noise from the pump. But still im down lager temp here!

So Either way, I won!!!!!

 

[scaryeyes]

So now I can tell you all the secret!




Dont go all this way. Buy a refrigirator.

 

[AnchorBock]

So now I can tell you all the secret!




Dont go all this way. Buy a refrigirator.

Can you elaborate? I built an enclosure to hold a single keg at cellar temperature and used the peltier unit from a wine fridge, but it is unable to get more than about 10 degrees below ambient with a 5 gallon corny. Trying to decide if i should start over or find a 2nd peltier unit to add to this.

 

[scaryeyes]

Yea! I would do that! AND fan inside. I think when I installed the fan, thats when my temp began to drop! Im currently down 15°C below the room temp. Sometimes lower. It varies between 5°C and 7°C when the room is about 21°C to23°C.
Im happy, but maybe the watercooling is overkill. We are gonna build another cooler for a friend, and that one will just be for 1 corny but he wants 4 peltiers. Air cooled. its better, cause then we can reduce voltage if necessary.

Good luck